The last six years, starting in 2017, I posted 10 musical recommendations per week on this blog. A total of well over 3.000 tracks, mostly by upcoming – often female (fronted) – artists from all over the world. As I explained yesterday, Carte Blanche Music is entering a new era. One in which I’ll focus my efforts on my constantly updated Spotify playlist.

For sure, that doesn’t mean the blog is closing down. It’ll continue to be the home of my ‘best of’ collection (Werner’s Weekly) on Monday mornings (CET) and my favourite new track (the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard), every Wednesday morning. Also, I’ll post the latest additions to my playlist on Saturdays. For updates, follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

No better way to round up the last six years than by publishing the Your ‘All-Time’ Favourites, a chart compiling the 500 most popular (as in best-read) Carte Blanche Music recommendations from 2017 to 2022. You’ll find the Top 25 below, but click through for the full list. My original recommendations are behind the links. If you’re an artist, don’t be shy and search (Ctrl+F) to find out if you made the list. You might be surprised…

Enjoy and thanks for joining the ride so far. Follow the Carte Blanche Music playlist (click ‘♥’ in Spotify) for many more recommendations to come!

Your ‘All-Time’ Favourites (2017-2022)

1. Videoclub – Roi
2. Wildcard (week 7): Drew Sycamore – 45 Fahrenheit Girl
3. Aili x Transistorcake – Dansu
4. Wildcard (week 13): Placebo – The Prodigal
5. Super db – Wait For Me
6. Wildcard (week 12): Shanguy – Toukassé
7. Japanese Breakfast – Paprika
8. Saint Motel – A Good Song Never Dies
9. IBE – Table Of Fools
10. Angèle – La Loi De Murphy
11. Wildcard (week 22): Håkan Hellström – Alla Drömmar Är Uppfyllda
12. Rick Astley – Every One Of Us
13. Friedberg – Go Wild
14. Wildcard (week 26): Videoclub – En Nuit
15. Agnes – Here Comes The Night
16. a-ha feat. Ingrid Helene Håvik – The Sun Always Shines On TV (MTV Unplugged)
17. Angèle – Libre
18. Temples – Paraphernalia
19. Lola Le Lann – Portofino
20. Pixey – Free To Live In Colour
21. Eliza & The Delusionals – Just Exist
22. Videoclub – Enfance 80
23. Izzy Bizu (feat. Chris Martin) – Someone That Loves You ’19
24. Mina Okabe – Miss Those Days
25. Just – Walk Slow Smile More Read More →

My container playlist Carte Blanche Music 2021 doesn’t only include all of the 998 songs I recommended last year. It also holds the 100 best tracks in my opinion, the Carte Blanche Music Top 2021, which I published last week. But that’s only my selection. Isn’t it more interesting to see which of my recommendations you read the most? In other words: which of them were Your Favourites in 2021?

Apparently, the Carte Blanche Music blog has a strong archive function. A quarter of the Top 100 below consists of blog posts from earlier years, which you find via search engines. ‘Google is your friend’, as they say… Also, I think it’s wonderful to see young and upcoming artists like Angèle, Aili x Transistorcake, Mina Okabe, Eyjaa and Videoclub having more than one track amongst your favourites. These are acts to keep an extra keen eye on!

Thank you for being such loyal visitors of Carte Blanche Music. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and you won’t miss a single recommendation. You’ll find all of these brand-new songs and more in my daily updated Spotify playlist.

And now, enjoy last year’s greatest chart of all: Your Favourites 2021!

1. Drew Sycamore – 45 Fahrenheit Girl ^(WC)
2. Aili x Transistorcake – Dansu (2020)
3. Super db – Wait For Me
4. Japanese Breakfast – Paprika
5. Just – Walk Slow Smile More
6. The Blue Stones – One By One
7. Saint Motel – A Good Song Never Dies (2020)
8. Mina Okabe – Miss Those Days
9. Håkan Hellström – Alla Drömmar Är Uppfyllda (2020) ^(WC)
10. Agnes – Here Comes The Night
11. Pixey – Free To Live In Colour (2020)
12. Laura Mvula – Got Me
13. Angèle – La Loi De Murphy (2017)
14. Temples – Paraphernalia (2020)
15. Who – Hey! Get Out The Way ^(WC)
16. Julietta – Not Today
17. Lola Le Lann – Portofino (2020)
18. a-ha feat. Ingrid Helene Håvik – The Sun Always Shines On TV (MTV Unplugged) (2019)
19. Eyjaa – Don’t Forget About Me
20. Indochine x Christine & The Queens – 3Sex (2020)
21. Me & My Toothbrush – Funking Around (2020)
22. Jealous Of The Birds – Something Holy (2020)
23. Saint Motel – Preach (2020)
24. Izo FitzRoy – Red Line (2020) ^(WC)
25. Videoclub – Enfance 80 (2020)
26. Therapie Taxi – Eté 90
27. Christopher – Fall So Hard
28. Isaac Dunbar – Fan Behavior
29. Mina Okabe – Walk Away
30. Alfie Templeman – Things I Thought Were Mine (2020)
31. Danilo – Bringing It Back
32. Negramaro – Ora Ti Canto Il Mare
33. Videoclub – En Nuit (2019) ^(WC)
34. Good Health Good Wealth – Guinness
35. Ivan & The Parazol – Mást Vártam
36. Placebo – Beautiful James
37. Super-Hi x Neeka – Following The Sun
38. Trunky Juno – Daddy’s Gone For Cigarettes
39. Shanguy – Toukassé (2019) ^(WC)
40. Del Amitri – Close Your Eyes And Think Of England
41. Raffaella – Ballerina (2019)
42. Ali Barter – You Get In My Way
43. The Roop – Discoteque
44. Izzy Bizu (feat. Chris Martin) – Someone That Loves You ’19 (2019)
45. Fear Of Tigers – Tiger Blood
46. Grand Corps Malade – Pas Essentiel ^(WC)
47. Olivia – Can’t Break A Broken Heart
48. The Bamboos – Ride On Time
49. Angèle – Balance Ton Quoi (2019)
50. The Vices – In And Out (2020)
51. The Academic – Not Your Summer
52. Gotts Street Park feat. Flikka – Favourite Kind Of Girl (2020)
53. Aili x Transistorcake – Pari Pari
54. Mélodie Lauret – À Quoi Tu Penses Quand Tu M’adores ? (2020)
55. Eyjaa – The Wrecking Crew
56. Dubstar – Tectonic Plates
57. Tom Jones – Talking Reality Television Blues ^(WC)
58. AKA George – Manic Machine
59. You Am I – The Waterboy
60. Grand Corps Malade – Des Gens Beaux
61. The Vices – Looking For Faces
62. Kuzko – My Mama Says
63. Alessia Cara & The Warning – Enter Sandman
64. L U – Liquid Gold
65. Ruby Waters – Blow
66. IBE – Table Of Fools (2019)
67. Banji – Listen
68. Moby feat. Gregory Porter & Amythyst Kiah – Natural Blues [Reprise Version]
69. Rori – The Same Way
70. Gracie Abrams – Friend
71. Said The Whale – Honey Lungs
72. Clara Luciani – Respire Encore ^(WC)
73. Papooz – Theatrical State Of Mind (2019)
74. Lou Hayter – Time Out Of Mind
75. Mia Nicolai – People Pleaser
76. Why Don’t We – Slow Down
77. Miss Machine – Regarder Les Choses
78. Sitting On Stacy – Chest Hair
79. Devon – Warning Signs
80. Videoclub – Roi
81. Kristiane – Wish I Could Be Your Girl (2020)
82. Laura Mac – Garage Full Of Dreams ^(WC)
83. Dopha – The Game (2020)
84. Maty Noyes – New Friends
85. Bugs – Old Youth Feeling
86. Kailee Morgue – This Is Why I’m Hot
87. Calby – Burnout (2019)
88. Dry Cleaning – Scratchcard Lanyard
89. Our Lady Peace (feat. Pussy Riot) – Stop Making Stupid People Famous
90. Eelke – Too Much Too Soon
91. Troi Irons – She Loves Me Not
92. Niko Rubio – Bed
93. Aly & AJ – Don’t Need Nothing
94. Luz – Counting Houses
95. Son Mieux – 1992
96. Valeras – Rita
97. Amen Mustang – (The Shit You Say) When You’re High
98. Angèle – Libre ^(*)
99. Milo – What’s The Matter
100. The Hisunz – CNTRDCTNS

^(WC)    ex Carte Blanche Music Wildcard
^(*)       album track

My container playlist Carte Blanche Music 2020 doesn’t only include all of the 994 songs I recommended last year. It also holds the 100 best tracks in my opinion, the Carte Blanche Music Top 2020, which I published yesterday. But that’s only my selection. Isn’t it more interesting to see which of my recommendations you read the most? In other words: what were your favourites in 2020?

I think it’s funny to see the Carte Blanche Music blog has a strong archive function. That’s apparent from the number of older posts you still like to visit (and which you find via search engines). A good example is the best read article this year: Toukassé by Shanguy. It stems from 2019, just like 24 other entries in the list below. Even more impressing is La Roi De Murphy, Belgian songstress Angèle’s debut single from 2017 (also her break-through), which is still among the 20 most read blogs in 2020.

Thank you for being such loyal visitors of Carte Blanche Music. Don’t miss a single recommendation by following me on Twitter, Facebook or, new for 2021, Instagram! I’ll do my best to make sure those accounts will soon be your favourites too, just like the tracks below:

1. Shanguy – Toukassé (2019) ^(WC)
2. Saint Motel – A Good Song Never Dies
3. Dopha – The Game
4. Rick Astley – Every One Of Us
5. Lola Le Lann – Portofino
6. Daði Freyr & Gagnamagnið – Think About Things
7. Pyro – Come Back For You
8. Rat Boy – Brave New World
9. Håkan Hellström – Alla Drömmar Är Uppfyllda ^(WC)
10. Gotts Street Park feat. Flikka – Favourite Kind Of Girl
11. Raye – Natalie Don’t
12. Liela Moss – Atoms At Me
13. Friedberg – Go Wild (2019)
14. Lola Lennox – Back At Wrong
15. Fixkes – Dardennen
16. Eliza & The Delusionals – Just Exist (2019)
17. Angèle – La Loi De Murphy (2017)
18. Just Jack (feat. Melissa Jo Heathcote) – Long Grass
19. The Magic Gang – What Have You Got To Lose
20. Videoclub – En Nuit (2019) ^(WC)
21. Jealous Of The Birds – Something Holy
22. Casey Lowry – Psycho
23. IBE – Perfect Storm
24. IBE – Table Of Fools (2019)
25. Lilly Hiatt – Brightest Star
26. Angèle – Balance Ton Quoi (2019)
27. Izzy Bizu (feat. Chris Martin) – Someone That Loves You ’19 (2019)
28. Saint Motel – Preach
29. Videoclub – Enfance 80
30. The Wannadies – Can’t Kill The Musikk
31. Tout Va Bien – This Is How We Say Goodbye
32. The Mountain Goats – Get Famous
33. Izo FitzRoy – Red Line ^(WC)
34. Temples – Paraphernalia
35. Inhaler – My Honest Face (2019)
36. Kristiane – Wish I Could Be Your Girl
37. Miss Machine – Tout Autour
38. Calby – Burnout (2019)
39. Child Of The Parish – Relic Of The Past
40. Zola – Crystal Floors (2019)
41. Raffaella – Ballerina (2019)
42. Gin Wigmore – HBIC
43. Calby – The Everyday Bit (2019)
44. Elsa Birgitta Bekman – All ‘bout Love
45. Just – Dark Days
46. Pixey – Free To Live In Colour
47. boy pablo – 50 Souls And A Discobowl (2019) ^(WC)
48. Merci, Mercy – Fucked Myself Up
49. Royal & The Serpent – MMXX
50. The Vices – In And Out
51. The Radar Station – Subtle Science [2020 Version]
52. Charles – Far Gone
53. Semisonic – Basement Tapes
54. Parov Stelar feat. Muddy Waters – Soul Fever Blues (2019)
55. The Black Keys – Shine A Little Light (2019)
56. Papooz – Theatrical State Of Mind (2019)
57. Jaguar Jonze – Kill Me With Your Love (2019)
58. Esteban – Suburban Paradise
59. Pet Shop Boys – Monkey Business
60. Sitting On Stacy – Chest Hair (2019)
61. Grace Farriss – All The People ^(WC)
62. Mélodie Lauret – À Quoi Tu Penses Quand Tu M’adores ?
63. AKA George – Bad For You
64. Joel Stoker (The Rifles) – Stuck Inside
65. Ethel – Rubikscube (2019)
66. The Big Moon – Barcelona
67. Inge van Calkar – Spinning Around
68. Lux Lyall – Mad With The Moon
69. League Of Wolves – On The Run
70. Charmless i – Superhero
71. Maria Mena – Not OK
72. Alex The Astronaut – Caught In The Middle
73. Rhea – Under My Skin
74. Helmut Fritz – Ça M’énerve [2020 Version]
75. Don’t Bring Stacey – Waiting For It
76. Nana Adjoa – She’s Stronger
77. Stuck On Planet Earth – Ghosts On The Radio
78. Sheppard – Kiss My Fat Ass (2019)
79. The Man Who – Give Me Something (2019)
80. Lead Pony – Soul Sucker (2019)
81. a-ha feat. Ingrid Helene Håvik – The Sun Always Shines On TV (MTV Unplugged) (2019)
82. Barry Moore – Hey Now (2019)
83. Ellie Dixon – Space Out!
84. Catherine Anne Davies & Bernard Butler – Sabotage (Looks So Easy)
85. Gracie Abrams – Friend
86. Roads To Roam – Firework
87. Baxter Dury – I’m Not Your Dog
88. Alfie Templeman – Things I Thought Were Mine
89. Sunbather – Softly Spoken
90. Eliza & The Delusionals – Swimming Pool
91. Pyro – Your Love
92. Aili x Transistorcake – Dansu
93. Marble Waves – Caught In A Current
94. Me & My Toothbrush – Funking Around
95. Corine – Je Danse Le Mia (2019)
96. Raye – Love Of Your Life
97. Michelle David & The Gospel Sessions – Victory!
98. Some Sprouts – At Full Capacity
99. Papooz – Figs And Gorgonzola
100. Fickle Friends – Pretty Great

^(WC)    ex Carte Blanche Music Wildcard

So here it is… 2020 is upon us. Happy New Year! May it be a healthy and exciting one, both musically and otherwise. Just like the last three years, I intend to introduce you to the best new music, often by artists you probably didn’t know yet. Check the Carte Blanche Music Top 2019 for my personal picks. It’s on Spotify as well.

But looking back doesn’t end there. I think your preferences are as important as mine (if not more important). Therefore, let’s dive into which of my recommendations have been read the most. In other words: what have been your favourites in 2019? Enjoy the Top 100 below and find all of my musical tips of last year in the Carte Blanche Music 2019 playlist on Spotify.

1. Videoclub – Roi
2. IBE – Table Of Fools
3. Friedberg – Go Wild
4. Rick Astley – Every One Of Us
5. Shanguy – Toukassé ^(WC)
6. Eliza & The Delusionals – Just Exist
7. Calby – The Everyday Bit
8. The Brand New Heavies feat. N’Dea Davenport – Getaway
9. Mamacita feat. Didy & Roy Paci – (Yo No Soy Tu) Nena
10. Sir Notch – Gimme That Sunshine
11. Sheppard – Kiss My Fat Ass
12. Corine – Je Danse Le Mia
13. Inhaler – My Honest Face
14. boy pablo – 50 Souls And A Discobowl ^(WC)
15. Sophie & The Giants – Waste My Air
16. Barry Moore – Hey Now
17. Angèle – Balance Ton Quoi
18. SWMRS – Lose Lose Lose
19. Videoclub – En Nuit ^(WC)
20. Ethel – Rubikscube
21. 900 Miles feat. The Kooks – Hold Tight
22. The Black Keys – Shine A Little Light
23. Parov Stelar feat. Muddy Waters – Soul Fever Blues
24. Pyro – F.O.M.O.
25. Claire Laffut feat. Yseult – Nudes
26. a-ha feat. Ingrid Helene Håvik – The Sun Always Shines On TV (MTV Unplugged)
27. The Twang – Everytime
28. Izzy Bizu (feat. Chris Martin) – Someone That Loves You ’19
29. Angèle – La Loi De Murphy
30. Kesha – Best Day [Angry Birds 2 Remix]
31. HÆLOS – End Of The World Party
32. The Knocks (feat. Sofi Tukker) – Brazilian Soul
33. Nona – It’s Alright
34. Therapie Taxi – Candide Crush
35. Jesse Hite – When It All Comes Down
36. Chateau Chateau – Burn Me Alive
37. Christon – Closer To A New Day
38. Maggie Lindemann – Friends Go / Remix feat. Travis Barker ^(WC)
39. Pat Dam Smyth – Last King
40. Nona – Last To Know
41. Vendredi Sur Mer – La Nuit
42. Jaguar Jonze – Kill Me With Your Love
43. Narda – Love Me Long
44. Ed Struijlaart – What I Like About You
45. Caravan Palace – Supersonics
46. Man & The Echo – A Capable Man
47. Cat Pierce – Human Experience
48. Yonaka – Death By Love
49. Casey Lowry – Boyfriend
50. Rex Orange County – Sunflower
51. DRMS & L’Isle – La Vague
52. eMMa – Fått Deg På Hjernen
53. Gemme – Sweet Harmony
54. Raffaella – Ballerina
55. Lizzo – Good As Hell / Remix feat. Ariana Grande ^(WC)
56. Model Depose – Damage Control
57. Phil Collins – The Man With The Horn
58. Bear Ghost – Haunt, The Cartoon Heart
59. Parov Stelar feat. Lilja Bloom – Go Wake Up
60. Prince – Holly Rock
61. Isaac Dunbar – ferrari
62. Au/Ra – Dance In The Dark
63. Jonas Brøg – All Across The Sky
64. Superbird – Cola Bottle Fizz
65. Deacon Blue – City Of Love ^(WC)
66. Otherkin – On And On
67. Will Hutton – Silhouette
68. Sheila & The Kit – Mike ^(WC)
69. Vant – Propaganda Machine
70. Countless Numbers – Twice As Hard ^(WC)
71. Model Depose – Bombs Are Falling
72. Client Liaison – The Real Thing
73. Madame Psychosis – Kapow
74. The Snuts – All Your Friends
75. Self Esteem – Girl Crush
76. She Drew The Gun – Paradise
77. Maty Noyes – New Friends
78. Call Me Loop – Self Love ^(WC)
79. Skylar Grey – Shame On You
80. Dirty Heads – Lift Me Up
81. Kakkmaddafakka – Sin
82. The fin. – Come Further
83. Vant – Exoskeleton
84. Sun Gods – Zanzara
85. Jimi Charles Moody – Happy Song ^(*)
86. Barry Moore – The Tide ^(WC)
87. Lush Puppy – Ms. Grey ^(WC)
88. Indigo – Distant Lullaby ^(WC)
89. Virgins At Heart – Show Me
90. Sebu – The Secret Is Out [Lucas Vidal Arrangement] ^(WC)
91. Devon – I Don’t Want 2 B Ur Friend ^(WC)
92. Ride – Jump Jet
93. Hecht – Besch Ready Für Die Liebi Vo Mer?
94. Bye Beneco – It’s Not True Love
95. Retro Video Club – Addicted
96. Dodgy – Staying Out For The Summer ‘19
97. Zola – Crystal Floors
98. Alfie Templeman – Tragic Love
99. Yonaka – Lose Our Heads
100. Picture This – Modern Love

^(WC)    ex Carte Blanche Music Wildcard
^(*)       album track